


Phoenix

by Beanmaster_Pika



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: ANYWAY THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THOSE HALF-POST-HALF-FIC THINGS OVER ON TUMBLR, BC I THINK THOSE ARE COOL IN HOW THEY SKIRT THE LINE, BUT THEN IT JUST TURNED INTO A REGULAR FIC SO WHATEVER I GUESS, Gen, also i picked the title in like five minutes dont judge me okay, croix and akko are mostly there for background
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 17:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17902118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beanmaster_Pika/pseuds/Beanmaster_Pika
Summary: Chariot put out her flames and buried the embers, but perhaps that was a mistake.





	Phoenix

When Chariot finds out that Dream Fuel Spirit steals people’s magic power, she’s horrified. She was so sure she was doing something wonderful for people, and she is—at least, Croix thinks so. It’s not like any witches attend her shows, and non-witches will never use magic anyway, Croix reasons. And more importantly, by testing Dream Fuel Spirit, she’s helping Croix with research that will ultimately revitalize the magic world. There are no losers here.

But Chariot disagrees. This whole time, she has been pushing a message that people’s dreams will give them power—but how can they when she’s stealing them away? It’s not right, and the unwavering confidence with which she acted now makes her feel sick. She quits using Dream Fuel Spirit—no more, she tells Croix. She can’t in good faith continue. There are angry words—most from Croix, some from Chariot—and they part ways.

But see, Croix doesn’t exactly _leave_. She continues to watch Chariot’s shows. W _atered down versions meant for entertaining infants_ , she thinks with a sneer, but she continues to watch.

And she’s there when Chariot shoots the moon.

 _Such power,_  Croix thinks. Then, _I need to erase their memories!_ But as she does so, she sees—she sees the bright light of magical energy leaving the bodies of the audience, she sees Claiomh Solais crumble to dust in Chariot’s hands. She sees Chariot’s look of horror over what she has done.

It’s the end for real this time. Chariot quits her show and sends a letter of resignation to her agency. I can’t do it anymore, she writes. The agency is disappointed—she had been their greatest performer. However, they know that her popularity is rapidly declining, that her shows have reverted to how they used to be, so they cut their losses and let her go. Show biz is cutthroat, and they won’t be able to compete with other agencies if their star’s star quality dims.

Chariot is lost after that. She feels that she doesn’t have the right to use magic anymore, not after what she’s done, but she just can’t bear to let go of it. She’s a witch, after all; magic is her whole world. She lives it and breathes it, loves it more than anything, so she compromises. No more recklessness, she promises herself. She’ll reinvent herself. A new name _(Ursula Callistis)_ , a new hair color _(a muted blue, nothing like the fiery red she was born with)_ , and a new demeanor to match. She doesn’t trust herself anymore, and so she stamps out the fire inside her and covers up the dying embers. Her confidence is _bad_ , it leads to _recklessness_ , and her recklessness will _hurt people_. And she’s not taking that risk. She becomes a teacher in hopes of giving back in any way she can, and nobody draws the connection between Ursula Callistis and Chariot du Nord, not even her old teachers. And really, how could they possibly? The only things that have really stayed the same are her eyes, her voice, and her clumsiness in day-to-day life, but time dulls memory and the way she carries herself is completely different: she’s meek and quieter, her bullheadedness now malleable as she works herself around others. She’s always been a people-pleaser, but she always had a spine of steel for the things that matter to her. It’s gone now, buried with the embers because what does she have left to fight for? She’s retired, practically. She’s living the quiet—albeit hectic—life of a teacher, and without her penchant for meddling and muddling things up there’s no way she can do anymore harm.

But one day, years later, a very strange girl enters Luna Nova Academy. Well, she enters the Forest of Arcturus first, and that’s how Ursula first meets her. The girl and two other students are being chased by the cockatrice, and Ursula sees that she’s holding Claiomh Solais, and for a moment, Chariot jumps out.

Cast the spell, she cries. Say the words!

_Noctu orfei aude fraetor!_

The girl pulls back the string of Claiomh Solais’s bow form and then shouts the words of Chariot: _Shiny Arc!_

-

The girl’s name is Atsuko Kagari, and she is an avid fan of Shiny Chariot. She wants to meet Shiny Chariot again, she tells Ursula, and when she does, she’ll return the Shiny Rod!

Akko crows that her belief in herself is her power, and the knot in Ursula’s stomach tightens.

Ursula’s worst fears are confirmed: Akko had her magic stolen. Her affinity for magic is abysmal, and she can’t get her broom even a little bit off the ground. Ursula vows to help her and tutor her so she can use magic just as well as her peers—it’s the least that can be done, after all, to make amends, even if Akko doesn’t know about it.

Akko is so much like Chariot—enthusiastic and bright as the stars, unrelenting in willpower and stubborn as an ox. True, failure dampens her spirit, but she _always_  snaps back twice as obstinate as before, and Ursula is silently grateful for it. She’ll be better, Ursula swears. Ursula will guide her every step of the way, and Akko will always, always be able to rely on her.

Ursula proves this to herself. When Professor Finnelan tries to expel Akko, Ursula discovers that Chariot’s spine is still intact—she swore that she’d help Akko, and damn it, that’s what she’s going to do. Akko has fought tooth and nail for every bit of purchase she can get on this slippery uphill slope, and Ursula will _not_ let all of Akko’s effort go to waste for something as stupid as- as- as _reputation!_

I _value her!_  she shouts at Professor Finnelan, and when the adrenaline wears off, she wonders a bit at how perhaps she hasn’t changed much at all. But she helped Akko, and that’s what matters right now. This child’s future was stunted by _her_ , and she won’t let it remain that way.

When Croix shows up, Ursula feels more like Chariot again, and it frightens her. Croix’s presence frightens her, too. Croix is different—her hair is up, her glasses are gone, and she exudes an aura of confidence—perhaps of arrogance. She’s grown just like Chariot has, but so _different_. Chariot has renounced herself; Croix has merely upgraded, more self-assured than ever. Ursula  knows she has to be o n her toes from now on. Even when they had been friends, Croix was tricky, and she’d already shown how unscrupulous she was. Ursula doubts that she’s gotten better over the years. 

And she’s right. Croix _is_  planning something, and she puts it into action right after she arrives. Ursula taps more into Chariot in the next few months than she has in the past ten years combined—she’s reckless, she fights, she _takes action_. She has to. If she lets Croix do whatever she wants, it’s over. She can’t let anymore people be hurt as collateral damage.

Croix’s arrival pushes her to be more upfront with Akko, but it doesn’t help much. Telling her about the true purpose of the Claiomh Solais sends her on a frenzied quest to revive the Seven Words of Arcturus. A frenzied, _reckless_  quest, and Ursula’s heart jumps into her throat when Akko believes Croix and climbs the wagandea tree when the flowers are right about to bloom. She can’t let Akko lose all her magic, she _can’t_ , not after she already took away part of it, and without a second thought she shields her student with her own body, consequences be _damned_. It’s worth it. She may have lost her ability to fly, but Akko is safe, and that’s what matters.

Maybe it’s okay to be a little bit reckless. Without her nerve, she wouldn’t have been able to save Akko.

Events continue quickly. Akko finds out who she really is, and Croix puts her plan into action. It backfires. Horribly. Chariot isn’t the only one who’s dealt with unforeseen outcomes, Ursula thinks grimly. But Akko’s every bit as reckless as Chariot was back in the day, and she fights, and she wins, and Ursula— _Chariot_  doesn’t think she’s ever been prouder. 

Then the girls go on up to stop a missile, and Chariot’s heart leaps to her throat again but they _do it._

Chariot realizes something that day. Perhaps she shouldn’t have renounced herself completely—perhaps her confidence, her _belief_  in herself and what she did was what had made Claiomh Solais choose her in the first place. When her belief had crumbled, so too had her wand. When she fought for her students, she let the embers glow. 

It’s time to stop running. She’s ready to face everything and every _one_  now. She’s not going to revive ‘Shiny Chariot’ or anything silly like that, but she’s ready to take back ‘Chariot du Nord.’ _A believing heart is my magic._ When it’s all over, Chariot does not enchant her hair blue again. It remains red as a phoenix’s feathers, her flames are rekindling, and she believes once more.


End file.
